FAQ on Grammar

FAQ on Grammar

Over at Dr. Grammar, it has a page on grammar frequently asked questions (with answers). This is pretty handy – It is sorted so it is very easy for you to find the questions and answers. An example on a FAQ:

Like or such as?
Like or such as? Patricia O’Conner says, “It’s a matter of taste–either is acceptable. To my ear, like sounds better; such as has a more formal air” (Woe Is I 103). James J. Kilpatrick argues that there is a significant difference: “When we are talking of large, indefinite fields of similarity, like may properly be used…. When we are talking about specifically named persons [places or things]…included in a small field, we ought to use such as” (qtd. in Lederer and Dowis. Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay 79). “In ‘Books like this one can help you write better,’ like means similar to. In ‘Cities such as Atlanta and Birmingham are important to the economy of the Southeast,’ the intent is to specify those cities as examples, not merely to put them into a broad category of cities that are important to the economy of the Southeast” (Lederer and Dowis. Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay 79).
Standard usage varies a good deal, and you’re safe using either.